Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Black History Extends Beyond February

By Keona Gabbadon


Gabbadon points out that many of the contributions of African-Americans are left out of American history.

Black History Month is the shortest month of the year. During this month, grade schools all accross America teach about Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Harriet Tubman. Schools usually base their curriculum on the same historic episodes: Rosa Parks’ refusal to move seats on a bus, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream,” speech and Harriet Tubman’s work with the Underground Railroad.

While social studies is a main subject during the entire school year, there aren’t any mentions of African-American contributors, except for this one month. Social studies textbooks do not tell you about all the great things blacks did throughout history and without the work of African ancestors, America would not be what we know today.

In an interview with CNN, Michael Eric Dyson, a professor at Georgetown University said, “If we’re talking about American history and being – shying away from the history of oppression, we’re not talking about American history.”

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